The Department for Education’s new Technology in Schools 2024–2025 report should make every MAT CEO and headteacher pause for thought.
- Only one in five schools has an AI policy.
- Almost half of teachers are already using AI tools.
That means AI is now shaping lesson planning, feedback, and even student behaviour, largely without oversight or shared standards.
As school leaders, this is your moment to lead – not just react.
Teachers Have Already Moved
According to the DfE, 44% of teachers are now using generative AI for school activities — mainly lesson planning (35%), feedback (21%), and resource creation.
Meanwhile, 70% of secondary leaders believe pupils are using AI for homework, with plagiarism and misinformation becoming growing issues.
Yet fewer than 25% of schools have offered any AI training for staff, and just one-fifth have a policy to govern its use.
AI isn’t coming. It’s already here. And it’s operating in your classrooms without a rulebook.
Why Ethics and Leadership Matter More Than Ever
This isn’t only about compliance or safeguarding. It’s about values.
AI tools can amplify bias, distort facts, and spread misinformation. Without clear principles, we risk replacing teacher-led wisdom with algorithmic shortcuts.
The DfE highlights the importance of teaching ethical awareness, bias recognition, and fact-checking AI outputs. Schools must model this moral literacy, helping pupils and teachers alike understand when AI helps, and when it hinders.
As leaders, you are the gatekeepers of responsible innovation.
Building a Responsible AI Framework
Forward-thinking trusts are already acting. Here’s what that looks like:
- Clear AI use policies – defining acceptable vs. prohibited use (e.g. lesson planning vs. automated marking).
- Critical AI literacy – teaching both staff and students to question, verify, and challenge AI-generated outputs.
- Continuous CPD – structured AI training embedded into workforce development.
- Ethical governance – involving governors and boards in oversight, not just IT leads.
Schools that lead with ethics will also lead in attainment, inclusion, and staff wellbeing.
The Cost of Inaction
The DfE’s findings are clear: schools without digital or AI strategies are less confident in making the right tech decisions, less likely to meet digital standards, and more exposed to inconsistency and risk.
Doing nothing isn’t neutral, it’s a leadership liability.
AI can reduce workload, personalise learning, and raise attainment, but only if guided by strong frameworks and ethical leadership.
How Pro Apprenticeships Can Help
This is where Pro Apprenticeships comes in.
With dedicated programmes for schools and MATs, we help you:
- Develop AI and EdTech policies aligned with DfE standards and your trust’s values.
- Train your teams in ethical AI use, critical evaluation, and digital fluency.
- Build confident digital leaders through structured apprenticeships and CPD.
Explore how we can help you embed responsible AI use through our:
The Leadership Moment
AI won’t replace teachers , but it will redefine teaching.
The question is whether your trust will lead the change, or be led by it.
The schools that act now (crafting policies, building digital confidence, and embedding ethics) will shape not just the future of technology in education, but the moral compass that guides it.
Let’s talk.
If your MAT or school wants to lead confidently and responsibly with AI, connect or message us at Pro Apprenticeships.